Biological research has countless different methods. Probably one of the most debated methods is through animal testing. With so many different angles and view on it, it is difficult to see what is fact and what is not. Some think it is crucial to both saving the lives of animals and humans, other think the method is slow and outdated. Some people even consider it unethical and inhumane. Prince Machiavelli once said,“The ends justify the means.” Putting his words into context, scientific advancement is scientific advancement, whether or not it is achieved through simulations or on live subjects.

Biomedical research has been used for the longest time. Rachel Hajar, the Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar, reports that biomedical research on animals has been used since before the middle ages. According to her article, Claude Bernard, the father of physiology, established animal experimentation are part of the standard scientific method. Back in the 1930s, pharmaceutical companies did not use animal testing and ultimately caused the deaths of hundreds of people. This lead the FDA to pass the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

Among the scientific community, there is an agreeance. Frankie L. Trull, president of the Foundation for Biomedical Research, states that:

Within the American animal-rights movement is a vocal anti-research element that dismisses the importance of animal studies, claiming that the results of animal research can't be applied to human health. However, physicians and researchers overwhelmingly agree that animal systems provide invaluable and irreplaceable insights into human systems because there are striking similarities between our physiological and genetic systems. (1)

This significant agreement among scientist makes the importance of animals testing seem larger. To put substance into claims, animal testing has saved thousands of lives. Folic acid, a B vitamin, was found to prevent neural birth defect through animal testing. In 1992, a campaign was launched the has prevent thousands of birth defects. Animal research has spared millions of different animals from over 200 lethal diseases! Judging by statistics alone, animal testing has assisting in not only saving lives, but fixing biological impairments. Since then, animals testing has become a major past in biological research. Because of it, we now have a better molecular and genetic understanding of tumor cells. Herceptin and Tamoxifen, two major breast cancer medicines, were testing by animals before sold and saving lives. Closer research into the transfer of HIV from mother to infants is under going through animal research. Much of nutritional science is base upon animals. While it may be cruel to subject an animal to the dangers of research, it has help modern medicine progress much faster and will less overall risk than it would have without.

Animal research helped progress modern medicine: humans now have vaccinations for small pox, mumps, and measles. Antibiotics, insulin, and anesthesia were developed through animal testing. Surgery also progressed. Bypass surgery, cataract surgery, hip replacement, and advancements in organ transplant were learned through the use of animals. We now have treatments for AIDS, Diabetes, and Leukemia. Anthrax, rabies, and distemper can now be cured. Without animal testing, medicine would have taken a century longer!

The animals used in experimentation are typically lab rats, which are bred for the purpose of testing. In fact, 95% of animals experimented on are those lab rats. The lab rates are altered from birth to lack an immune system, a functioning one at least. Because the have natural short life spans and their similarity to humans, genetically and physiologically, they are ideal for human testing. Humans can quickly reproduce them so they do not need to trap them and infringe on natural selection. In fact, letting the animal free would put the wild population at risk of extinction. Without immune systems they will most likely die, but given the chance to breed to the outer population who knows what could happen.

Despite all advances through animal testing, is it quite inhumane. According to the Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition, “Animals are burned, cut, maimed, addicted to drugs, starved, and given fatal diseases, often with no anesthesia.” (1). It also claims that there are 500 million suffering like this on a semi-daily basis. They claim that animal testing is only a way to make sure a product is safe for human use. While in cosmetic purposes this is true, from a medical standpoint research is more than just testing out a product. All in all, each side of the argument is totally bias and unwilling to see the other side.

Ultimately, animal testing is important for medical science and without it, advancement would have come slower. The amount of lives it helps save is overwhelming, and the amount of scientists that agree with this method are substantial. The FDA recognizes its importance by saying, “There are still many areas where animal testing is necessary and non-animal testing is not yet a scientifically valid and available option.” (1). One day animal testing will become obsolete and irrelevant, but for now it will play a vital part of modern research.